Build Your World Around Me
by pandorabox82
Summary: Erin is ready to return home from the hospital. But is David ready to accept her back in his life?


Erin sighed impatiently. She had been cleared for release from the hospital that morning, and Alan was late in picking her up. Why she had agreed with the Marshal in letting him know first, she had no idea, but he had said that it would be safer that way, since they were no longer a couple. And now, she was waiting on him, waiting to return to a life that had been on pause for the last three months.

Finally, she saw his car pulling into the half-moon drive and she smiled up at her nurse. "See, I told you he would be late. He was late to every important event in our lives."

"It could be worse, honey. He could have called you a cab."

Erin laughed as she nodded. "There is that. Huh."

"What is it?"

"I think…Tabitha!" Shakily, she stood, trying to ignore the woman's hiss of concern, and took a step towards the door as her youngest daughter burst inside and wrapped her in a tight hug. "Baby, what are you doing here?"

"When the Marshal told us that you were alive and could come home, I wouldn't let Dad tell me no. I had to come see you. Mommy, you're alive!" Her daughter burst into tears as she wrapped her in a tight hug, burrowing in close as she sobbed.

Erin slowly stroked her daughter's hair as her ex-husband ambled in, a wry smile on his face. "Oh, Erlie, could you not have thought of a different way to go into hiding? The children were overcome with grief."

Alan had used his old nickname for her, one that he hadn't used in six years, and he was looking at her oddly, as if he suddenly realized that he still had feelings for her. "I didn't really have that much of a choice. After Dave got me to the hospital, and seen by one of our coroners, he took off to take down Curtis. No one knew I was alive, and I knew from Haley that I couldn't make contact with anyone. I'm sorry."

Erin began to cry, and then she was weaving, the strength leaving her body. Alan caught her easily, picking her up and cradling her against his chest. "Did they forget to feed you while you were in here? You've dropped at least twenty pounds."

"Thirty. And that's after I gained back five." He tightened his arms around her and she buried her face into his shoulder. "Take me home, please?"

"Of course." He carried her out to the car while Tabitha brought out her luggage, stowing it in the backseat. "Karen sends her love. She wanted to come home, but…"

"She's studying in France this semester. That is more important, she can see me at Christmastime." He nodded and helped her to buckle her seatbelt, before heading over to the driver's seat and starting the car once more. Mahler's Fifth Symphony began to play, and she smiled gently. "You remembered I love Mahler."

"Tabby reminded me that this was your favorite. I thought, for some reason, it was the Second."

"Either would have been fine," she murmured as she closed her eyes and let the sound wash over her. At some point, she must have fallen asleep, as the next thing she knew the car was stopping. Sitting up, she stretched a little and smiled when she saw that the flowers were still alive. "Who's been keeping up on the garden?"

"I have, Mama. I wouldn't let Dad put the house up for sale. You always promised me that it would be mine one day. So, I moved in. And I'm not moving out anytime soon. You need someone to look after you, and that's going to be me."

Tears once more prickled her eyes and she nodded, stepping out of the car and walking up to the porch. She was winded by the time she got to the swing and she sat heavily, pushing it back and forth with her toe. "Alan, did the Marshal say if he was going to call any of the others?"

"He said that he would tell Dave, but the rest would be up to you. He recommended coming out slowly, so as not to overwhelm yourself. Um, I hate to do this, Erlie, but Brittney is expecting me back soon. We have Lamaze class tonight, and…well, she wants me to be there. But if you need anything, do not hesitate to call."

Alan bent down and kissed her tenderly. It was all she could do to not kiss him back, to force her brain to remember that they had been divorced for two years. "I won't, I promise. But with Tabby here, I should be fine."

"Good. And just call anyway. I seem to have found that I miss your voice."

She nodded, feeling an odd sort of melancholy settle over her soul. "I think I will, as long as Brittney doesn't mind. I've missed your voice, too." Erin held out her hand, and Alan clasped it, kissing the palm lightly. "And I've missed that, as well."

"Didn't your Dave ever…?"

"No. I didn't."

Erin looked around Alan to see David standing there, a bouquet of tulips in one hand, a box of candy in the other. "I didn't hear you approach, David."

"No, you were a little wrapped up in Alan here." She could hear the barely controlled anger and jealousy in his voice and she flinched a little, pulling her hand back from Alan. "Tabitha, I hope you're well."

"I think Dad and I are still in a state of shock. We only found out early this morning that Mama was alive and ready to come home. Why don't you come inside with me while Dad and Mama say goodbye? I can get you a glass of lemonade." Placing her hand on his arm, she guided him inside and Erin sighed deeply, trying not to cry again.

"When did my baby grow up?" she whispered, tugging Alan down onto the swing and leaning against him, letting him wrap his arm around her shoulders. "He's angry with me. He thinks we're going to get back together. Does he not know how much I love him?"

Her voice broke with the last word, and Alan stroked her hair gently, letting her cry on his shoulder. "I think he's scared, Erlie. Scared of losing you again, scared of being replaced, scared that you don't need him anymore. But if he hurts you…"

"No, Alan. I can take care myself in this case. I hope," she whispered, rubbing her face against his chest. "It is really hard to shut off twenty five years of feelings, Alan. You need to go before I make a mistake that will hurt all of us."

"I understand, Erlie. I love you."

"I love you, too. And that's the problem, I love him more." She gently pushed him away, smiling at him sadly. "I will talk to you soon, though, Alan."

"I'll hold you to that." Once more, he kissed her palm before heading back to his car. Alan waved to her before driving away, and she waved back on instinct, a part of her aching as he left.

Sighing, she stood up and slowly made her way into the house. Erin wanted to disappear upstairs, but angry voices drew her to the living room and she made her way there. Leaning against the doorjamb, she listened to her daughter stand toe to toe with one of the most formidable men she had ever met. "David Rossi, I know Mama said that you could be a jackass, but you are really proving yourself that in spades right now!"

"He was kissing her! How am I supposed to feel? Happy? Happy that another man is shoving his tongue down my woman's throat?" He glared at her daughter, and Tabitha made her proud, glaring right back and stepping closer to him.

"Don't even try to intimidate me, Rossi," she spat out, pushing against his chest with her hand. "I am the daughter of Erin Elizabeth Strauss, and take shit from no one. And he was not shoving his tongue down her throat, he was giving her a kiss. A simple, welcome home, kiss. They were together for more than twenty five years!"

David shook his head and moved away from Tabitha. "I thought that we loved each other."

"I still do love you. Do you not love me?" she asked, feeling her heart break.

David looked at her, his eyes bright with tears. "I brought you tulips."

"I know. That doesn't answer my question. Do you still love me?" Tabitha motioned her over and she was grateful to be able to lean against her daughter, to have someone holding her up as she trembled and shook. For the first time, she wondered if she should have been released so soon from the hospital, and she clung to Tabitha, pulling her closer to her side.

"Mama, we need to get you in bed. You shouldn't be getting so upset right now." Erin could tell that her daughter was glaring at her lover, and she tried to find the strength to laugh, to shake her head. "Come on, please."

"In a moment, Tabby-cat," she said, the words sounding muffled to her own ears. "What?" she asked as she swayed and began to sink to the ground. Vaguely, she could hear David rush over to her side, and his arms were scooping her up, holding her close.

"Oh, cara, I didn't mean…Here, let me get you upstairs." He brushed past Tabitha, and she reached out for her daughter's hand. She clasped it tightly, following them upstairs and into her bedroom. Gently, David laid her down and then crawled in beside her, spooning himself against her body, his hands coming to rest on her stomach. "I need to feed you some of my Italian cooking that you always refuse to eat, saying it will make you fat. I can feel your hip bones pressing into my thighs."

"I had a hard time recovering, Davie. And you still haven't answered my question."

"I love you," he whispered in her ear, pressing his lips against the lobe. "I love everything about you. I'm sorry. I was just consumed by jealousy, and so angry that the Marshal would call him first. I wish it had been me." He kissed her again before looking over at Tabitha. "Would you mind if we had some alone time, Tabitha?"

"Promise me that you won't do anything to hurt her."

"I promise, on my son's grave, that I will do my best not to hurt her." Erin felt her breath catch in her throat and she nodded at her daughter, smiling slightly.

Once she had left the room, Erin turned to face David, caressing his face as she rested her forehead against his. "Do you have any idea how hard it was to not pick up the phone in my room and dial your number? Or to email you? I had to physically pinch myself each time a craving for you crept up in my mind. Will you really fill me with your mother's food?"

"Yes. And I will feed it to you until you are whatever weight makes you happy. Unless you're okay like this."

She shook her head. "I'm too thin. I miss my body. I know that some women like to be this thin, but I'm always cold. I don't think I've been warm since John forced me to drink." It was his turn to nod and then he was pushing himself off the bed. "What are you doing?"

"I'm going to try and keep you warm." David began to disrobe, pulling off his shirt and undershirt before undoing his belt and pushing pants and boxers to the floor. Erin let out a light sigh as she looked at him, rememorizing every line of him.

"You've lost weight, too, darling."

"I found that I had trouble eating, my thoughts were too filled with you." He held out his hand to her and she reached out, grabbing it and letting him pull her up off the bed and slowly undress her. "I missed the curve of your lips when you smile," he said as he dragged his thumb across them. "I missed the way your shoulders are so slim, yet carry so much weight on them." Leaning in, he pressed his lips to her collarbone, letting her blouse fall to the floor.

"I have something new about me," she murmured, holding up her arm.

"I know. It killed me when I saw that he had marked you. Looking back, I should have known you weren't dead. The way your scar looked when I was with the coroner told me that, and I wasn't paying attention. I'm sorry." He brought her wrist to his lips and pressed a tender kiss there, even as she began to shiver a bit.

"I'm sorry, I really do get cold quickly."

"Well then, before you shiver off more weight, let me slip these off of you." He undid the zipper on her skirt and skimmed both it and her panties to the floor. Then he pulled back the covers and beckoned to her. She crawled into bed beside him and he bundled her close, pulling the sheets and quilt up to their necks. "You fit here. I don't know why I was so jealous, I could see the truth of things written on your face."

"His new wife is having a baby. I can't give you that."

He cut off her words with a passionate kiss. "I never asked you to. I've told you before, I consider most of the team to be my children. What I get from you is a partner who expects me to live up to her standards, who knows I can be better than the dirty old man I can be at times. I love you for your mind and heart, first and foremost."

"Really?" she asked, resting her head on his chest.

"Really. Though your boobs are a close second."

She laughed loudly, the first time she had done so since she entered the hospital. It felt so good to let it out, to give herself over to happy emotions, and she let the laugh build and grow. Soon, he was joining in, and she wrapped her arms around his waist, clinging to him as their laughter dragged on. Tabitha came bursting into the room, looking at them in concern. "Is everything all right?" she asked tentatively, looking at the pile of clothes on the floor. "Or is this a bad time to interrupt you?"

"We're indecently decent, Tabitha. Though you could throw on an extra blanket, your mom is still shivering here, even with all the body heat we're creating."

She nodded and opened the trunk at the foot of the bed, taking out Erin's favorite down comforter. "Here we go, Mama. Oh, it was so good to hear you laugh, even if you did scare me for a moment."

As soon as the comforter was in place, Tabitha curled up next to her, resting her chin on her shoulder. "Darling, we're sort of naked under these covers."

"Yeah, and as long as you stay under those covers, we'll be fine. Unless this bothers you, Davie?"

"Watch it, kiddo. Only your mom is allowed to call me that."

"Well, how about Davie-poo?" He shook his head. "Well, what's your middle name?"

"James." The way he said that made Erin think of his son. She knew that he and Carolyn had named their son after him, reversing his name to make his son's.

"That does me no good. You are not a DJ, or a Deej."

"There's always Papa Dave."

Tabitha shook her head. "You're not married to Mama. Sorry, buckaroo."

He smiled at Erin, and she knew in that moment he was going to surprise them both. "Well, if I were married to your mother? What then?"

"Then we might have room to negotiate. We can revisit the topic once there is a ring on Mama's finger."

"Get up, go over to my pants, and check the right hand pocket." He winked at Erin before leaning in to kiss her. She melted into the kiss, her fingers digging into his back as the kiss lingered on. Tabitha cleared her throat and they looked up at her. Erin felt a warm blush spread across her face.

"Jeez, you knew I was coming right back, and still go for the heavy make out session. Is this what you wanted me to find?" She held out a black ring box and David nodded, maneuvering his arm out from under the covers to take it from her hand. "Can I guess what you got her?"

"Go ahead, but let me do this first. Erin, it looks like your little Tabby-cat has let this kitten out of the bag. This is your engagement ring, will you do the honor of becoming my dear and honored wife?"

"Yes."

"That was easy."

"I had three months to think about what I wanted to do when I got home. Being with you forever was one of those. If you want to get married, fine. As long as I'm by your side, I could not care less if we're married or living in sin."

He kissed her once more and she sighed against his lips. "Sorry, we're probably going to steal kisses a lot, Tabitha. Until the newness wears off."

"I suppose that's okay. Now let me guess!" Erin giggled and nodded, resting her head on David's arm as she watched her daughter look at the box. "I'm thinking you know that Mama doesn't particularly care for diamonds, and that you would go for something unusual. I'm guessing that you went with an emerald, to bring out the green of Mama's eyes."

"You should think about going to the Academy after school, Tabby. You have the makings of a profiler," he said lowly as he opened the box and revealed a huge gemstone. "May I slip this into place, Erin?"

"Yes," she whispered, snaking her hand out to him. The ring was heavier than she expected, and it slid up and down her finger. "I'm too thin," she said lowly as she started to cry once more. "It's going to fall off."

"Here, let me get you a chain, Mama," Tabitha said as she slipped off the bed once more and headed over to her jewelry box. "This should work perfectly." She was carrying back Erin's long chain, and she held out her hand expectantly. Her heart was heavy as she handed her daughter the ring, and Dave was right there, brushing the tears away.

"I'm going to start with the garlic alfredo sauce. Rich, decadent, filling. It will stick to your bones, I promise," he whispered as Tabitha handed her the chain. Erin slipped it over her head and ran her thumb along the stone, trying to gain control of her emotions once more.

"Am I invited to this dinner party? Because that sounds delicious." Erin giggled a little as both her and Tabitha's stomachs growled at the same time.

"Of course you are, Tabby-cat. Though I think we need food much more quickly than I can make that. Would you mind if I called Penelope, Erin? She can pick us up some Chinese takeout?"

"That would be fine. Though we might have to get dressed for that."

"Details, details. Tabby, my phone is…"

"In your pants pocket, I know. Listen, why don't I call her so you two can have some more cuddle time. And just to let you know, Papa Dave, I plan on sleeping with Mama tonight. I may be seventeen, but sometimes you just have to go to sleep in your mother's arms."

Erin smiled at her daughter. "I would not have asked for anything else, Tabby-cat. I love you."

"Love you, too, Mama. Now, cuddle while I make this call." She clambered from the bed and went back over to the pile of clothes. "I'll tell her to be here in the next forty five minutes or so. That should give you enough time to dress."

"Thanks, honey." Erin smiled up at her daughter, watching her take out the phone before she left them alone. "I think you know what clothes to pick for me."

"Something warm and beautiful." He slipped out from beneath the covers before bundling her up with them. "Let me work my magic," he murmured before stepping into his boxers and padding over to her closet. Erin supported her head with his pillow as she watched him thumb through her clothes before tugging out a light pink sweater and her black wool skirt. "Don't put on your bra, though. It's too much of a hassle."

She smiled widely. "You just like the thought of me braless. Easier access for you."

"Not today, bella. Today, we rest and hold on to each other. Today, I tell you how much I love you and how much I adore you. Today, we become a family."

Erin began to cry once more as she slipped out of bed and picked up her panties. After stepping into them, she took the sweater from his hands and tugged it on, loving the warm feeling of it. Then, he helped her into her skirt before tugging her into a tight hug. "I love you, David," she whispered in his ear, arching into his hand as he rubbed her back. "I've been counting the days until I could return. I was so scared that you wouldn't want me anymore."

"How could I not want you? How could I leave behind someone who frustrates and amazes me so? You know, that whole sonnet about the marriage of true minds? I've always sort of seen that as us."

"Just as I've always tried to build my world around you. I don't want to let you go, but I don't think Penelope or Tabby should see you in your skivvies."

He laughed in her ear before gently leading her back over to the bed. "Yes, I wouldn't want to give them ideas about us." He winked at her and she nodded, drawing her knees up to her chest as she watched him dress. "You look so beautiful right now."

"No, I don't."

"Stop. Please." She looked up into his eyes, wincing a little at the pain she saw there. "You are beautiful because you are alive. You're beautiful because you look at me with eyes of love. You're beautiful to me every single moment of every single day." Dropping his shirt to the floor once more, he bundled her up into another tight hug. "Please, never disparage yourself. Please."

Erin could hear tears clogging her beloved's voice and she nodded against his shoulder. "If I do, just tell me that you love me. All right?"

"All right." He leaned back and kissed her gently. "I love you so much, it feels like my heart is full to bursting at times. A piece of me died with you on that street. And now, you're here with me."

"I am. Forever. You can't get rid of Erin Elizabeth Strauss that easily." He laughed and pushed her back onto the mattress, covering her body with his as he bent to cover her lips in a passionate kiss. Instinctively, she closed her arms around his neck, holding him close as the kiss lingered on.

They only came up for air when they heard someone clear their throat. "I can't leave you alone for ten minutes! She's still weak, Papa Dave."

They both burst into giggles, and she buried her face in his shoulder. "You should be glad that I'm wearing boxers, Tabby-cat."

"Thank God for small miracles, I suppose." David shook his head. "What?"

"You sound exactly like your mother. Go on, shoo, we'll be down in a few minutes, I promise." Erin heard her daughter leave the room and gently pushed David away. "I guess that's my cue to get dressed. Though I did like where things were heading."

"So did I, Davie. But, I really think that might have to wait a week or two. I'm still a little weak from my ordeal." He nodded and helped her to sit up. "Look at it this way. We can court, and you can get a lot of heavy petting in."

"I like the sound of that, bella," he said as he chuckled, pulling on his clothes. "Now, I am going to carry you down to the living room, okay? I don't want you wearing yourself out."

"Okay." She held up her arms and then linked them around his neck as he adjusted her legs to hang over his arm, the other one cradling her torso close to his chest as he began to make his way out of the room. "You don't mind having Tabby sleep with us tonight, do you? I really want to hold onto my baby."

"Erin, if Tabby wanted to sleep with us for the next month, I wouldn't mind. It means we're a family, and family is so important to us. I love you."

"I love you, too," she whispered as she rested her head on his chest, breathing in his aftershave. She was home, in the arms of her beloved, ready to build her world around him. She couldn't ask for anything more.


End file.
